South Africa's Nadine De Klerk stuns India in Women's World Cup thriller

VISAKHAPATNAM: Nadine de Klerk produced a lower-order masterclass with an unbeaten 84 to steer South Africa to a three-wicket win over India in their Women's World Cup thriller on Thursday.

Number eight De Klerk tore into the opposition attack in her 54-ball blitz as South Africa reached 252-7 with seven balls to spare while chasing India's 251 in Visakhapatnam.

De Klerk's knock combined brute power with exquisite wrist work as she hit eight fours and five sixes, including the winning hit over the fence.

"I am lost for words," said De Klerk, who also took two wickets with her medium-pace bowling.

"We have done a lot of good things in the last couple of days, but to finish off the game gives us a lot of confidence. I do like being under pressure and do love World Cups - we had to be at our best to beat India at home."

South Africa slipped to 81-5 in their chase but captain Laura Wolvaardt's patient 70 kept them afloat before De Klerk joined Chloe Tryon to swing the momentum.

Tryon's brisk 49, and De Klerk's fearless strokeplay, turned the contest decisively in South Africa's favour.

The pair added 69 for the seventh wicket before Tryon fell, but by then the required run-rate was under control for De Klerk to finish in style.

Earlier, India's top-order faltered once again against left-arm spin and they slipped to 102-6 after Nonkululeko Mlaba and Tryon rattled the batting.

India's batters have now scored only 257 runs off 348 balls against left-arm spinners in this tournament - losing 12 wickets at an average of 21.41, the most dismissals by any team.

India's number eight Richa Ghosh hit a counter-attacking 94 to turn the tide when the rest struggled.

Ghosh took on the South African spinners with crisp footwork and clever placement, bringing the crowd to life with her clean hitting.

Together with Sneh Rana (33 off 24 balls), she added 88 for the eighth wicket.

Her innings was not just about runs but also character - another example of India's prowess to fight back from tough situations.

They had earlier recovered from 124-6 to 269-8 against Sri Lanka and from 159-5 to 247 against Pakistan in their two victories.

"Tough game, both teams played really well," India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur said.

"We collapsed while batting but still got to 250. We got the early wickets, but De Klerk batted really well."

She added: "It is a long tournament. It was a tough game, but lots of learnings. We need to keep ourselves in the positive frame."

South Africa celebrated their first win over India on Indian soil in a World Cup - a result that keeps their semi-final hopes alive.